Take a photo of a barcode or cover
mikegloudemans 's review for:
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
by Michelle Alexander
An excellent analysis of how the prison system in America represents “justice” on the surface, but in reality is fraught with corruption and racism, partly because it was engineered to be that way. The amount of room for law enforcement “discretion” at every single step in the prison pipeline, from stop-and-frisk searches to arrest to conviction to sentencing to parole, places the burden of proof on the one being discriminated against, rather than one discriminating. And despite these obvious violations of the 4th amendment (which grants protection from unreasonable search and seizure), just about every step you can imagine has been upheld by the Supreme Court, painting any excuse you can imagine such as "he looked suspicious" or "his hairstyle was sloppy" or even "he looked abnormally unsuspicious" as reasonable grounds for a stop and frisk.
You’re sure to pick up some valuable understanding from this book, and I recommend it if you’re looking for a deep dive into the criminal justice system in America, a cornerstone of modern-day racism. That said, I felt the book was quite a bit longer than necessary to convey all the same information and still be easily readable. Because of this, I wouldn’t unequivocally recommend reading the entire thing. I’d suggest instead starting with some summaries and reviews online to understand the main points, and then pick it up if you want to learn more or if you’re not yet convinced.
I also wouldn’t recommend it as your first read if you’re trying to learn about race and racism but are pretty new to the topic. There are other books that discuss racism in America more broadly and on a more personal level, so I’d consider this a “mid-level” book on racism, worth checking out after you’ve explored some of the others, to get a glimpse of how this all comes together on a societal level. That said, it’s written in a way that’s still totally understandable for even a newcomer.
You’re sure to pick up some valuable understanding from this book, and I recommend it if you’re looking for a deep dive into the criminal justice system in America, a cornerstone of modern-day racism. That said, I felt the book was quite a bit longer than necessary to convey all the same information and still be easily readable. Because of this, I wouldn’t unequivocally recommend reading the entire thing. I’d suggest instead starting with some summaries and reviews online to understand the main points, and then pick it up if you want to learn more or if you’re not yet convinced.
I also wouldn’t recommend it as your first read if you’re trying to learn about race and racism but are pretty new to the topic. There are other books that discuss racism in America more broadly and on a more personal level, so I’d consider this a “mid-level” book on racism, worth checking out after you’ve explored some of the others, to get a glimpse of how this all comes together on a societal level. That said, it’s written in a way that’s still totally understandable for even a newcomer.